Based on a Korean cult favorite from 1960, The Housemaid is a twist on the old-hat Hand That Rocks the Cradle tale told with enough style and panache that it thrilled crowds at the Cannes Film Festival last spring.
IFC has purchased this eerie erotic thriller and has kicked off its Stateside promotion with this teasing poster:
In my opinion, it’s a bit more tasteful and intriguing than this French promo found on IMDB:
Synopsis courtesy of Cinematical:
A favorite at this year’s Cannes, Toronto and Fantastic Fest film festivals, The Housemaid is a stylish and sexy reimagination of the 1960 cult classic, an elaborate psychological game of a film following the plight of an innocent young woman caught in the web of a rich family’s secrets.
Eun-yi (Cannes Best Actress winner Jeon Do-youn of Secret Sunshine [view the trailer here]) is hired as a nanny in an impossibly lavish mansion by businessman Hoon (Lee Jung-jae) and his very pregnant wife, Hae-ra (Seo Woo). When Hoon callously seduces the young maid, she becomes the unwitting victim in a battle of wills between him and the scheming women of the house-Hae-ra, her villainous mother (Park Ji-young), and their seemingly loyal but increasingly bitter housekeeper (Yun Yeo-jong). Intensely erotic and fiendishly entertaining, The Housemaid builds to an unforgettable climax as Eun-yi tries to maintain her cunning to protect her sanity-and her life-from the ruthless vipers around her.
Is your interest piqued by The Housemaid?